Time After Time
by degrassichick
Summary: Emma was more than ready to start babysitting for seven year old Danni, but when she meets her brother, things might get a little complicated.
1. New Jobs and Familiar Faces

**AN: Hey everyone, it's Degrassichick! This is Chapter 1 of my new story, _Time After Time_, it follows a little bit on the lines of a certain movie that I absolutely adore, but you won't be able to tell until probably the second or third chapter which movie some of this is taking after.**

**So anyways, here is _Into the Rush_.**

**Hope you like!**

**R&R and please, no flames!**

**Lotsa love,**

**Degrassichick**

**-x-**

**Chapter 1**

**-x-**

**Emma Nelson looked down at** the scrap of paper in her hand before looking back up at the house, 215 Heffernan Avenue, this was it.

It was a nice house, big with two stories, a golden retriever running around the front lawn and a basketball hoop hanging on the side of the garage and water sprinklers running.

She pushed open the gate and jogged up the front walk and then up the front steps to the large wraparound porch, tapping lightly on the door.

The door swung open and a middle aged brunette answered, her curly hair pulled back and she was wearing a nice blouse, skirt and high heels.

"You must be Emma." She stated with a warm smile on her lips.

Emma nodded, "Hi."

The woman held the door open for her and let her walk inside; the inside of the house was just as large.

A big fancy foyer with polished oak flooring, a view into the living room that consisted of a large screen television and big plush couch, a big, glass chandelier hung from the ceiling and everything looked picturesque.

"David, we're going to be late!" she called up the stairs in a sing-song voice before turning to Emma and smiling, "I do appreciate you offering to baby sit Danni for us, her older brother would but he…well he had other plans."

Emma shrugged, "It's no problem; I love kids."

"Well thanks again, Emma. I'm sure Danni won't be much of a problem, she's seven so she can kind of take care of herself on some levels."

Emma nodded in understanding, "Well thank you…um…?"

The woman laughed, "Oh, I guess I didn't exactly tell you my name, did I? My husband placed the call so I wasn't sure if he had told you. Well, I'm Julie."

Emma smiled at her before glancing upwards at a blonde male coming down the stairs, "You must be Emma." He stated nicely.

Emma smiled at him, "Hi."

"Well I guess you're right, we are going to be late." He stated, taking his sports coat out of the coat closet and pulling it on, "Where's my tycoon?" he asked in a joking voice.

Just then a little blonde girl came racing out of a room down the corridor close by the stairs, "Daddy!" she squealed.

Emma laughed at the sight as she watched them say their goodbyes, leave emergency phone numbers and leave.

Emma sighed before turning around and glancing at the blonde curiously, "Hi."

The young girl pursed her lips together before giving a small smile, her left front tooth missing, "I'm Danni."

"I'm Emma." She said with a smile.

Danni glanced at her once again, as if she was trying to find a familiar thing about Emma.

"Do you go to Degrassi?" she asked shortly.

Emma nodded, "I'm a grade eleven."

"My brother is a grade twelve…well was…then he got in trouble. But he came back this year; mommy and daddy are making him."

Emma tried to rack her brain for any student that had been missing from school, but her mind pretty much just drew a blank.

"Oh…that's um…interesting." She stated, following the young girl into the living room as she pointed up at a family portrait that hung on the wall.

"That's my brother, Jay." Danni stated.  
Emma's eyes widened and she looked up at where Danni's finger pointed, to a boy with short brown hair and vibrant dancing blue-gray eyes; he looked no older than fifteen in the picture.

"Jay Hogart…?" Emma questioned.

Danni grinned, "Yep!"

-x-

"**See ya Jay."** Towerz stated as Jay climbed out of his friend's new Miata (which he had bought to see if he could master up to Jay's Civic).

Jay nodded and lifted his hand in a small wave as he watched Towerz pull away from the curb and speed off down the road.

He gave a small sigh and pulled his hat down lower on his head before beginning to start up his front walk.

He jogged up the porch steps, walked across the porch, and then opened the front door, stepping inside to the foyer.

He threw his jacket onto the coat rack and then noticed something unfamiliar slung across one of the hooks.

It was a tan corduroy hobo bag with a pink button on it that had a hot pink peace sign on it.

He heard his younger sister let out a giggle, and he took that as his cue to follow the sound.

As soon as he entered the living room, he saw his sister sitting on the floor with her Bratz dolls spread around her, a blonde head was sitting next to her, but he couldn't place her.

"Danni…" Jay said in a low purr.

Danni spun around immediately, grinning a half-way toothless grin, "Jay!" she squealed, hurdling towards him and throwing her arms around his waist.

Jay laughed and wrapped his arms around her back before picking her up, she laced her legs around his waist before looking over at Emma, "Jay, this is Emma, she's my new babysitter."

Jay almost dropped Danni.

Emma spun around, and it indeed was Emma Nelson, _Green Peace, cause-girl_,_ nature freak_, _know-it-all_, _Miss Environmental_.

Emma slightly gulped at the sight of him, "Um…hey Jay."

Jay gave her a slight nod of acknowledgement before turning to Danni, "Why don't you go upstairs and read a book or something?"

Danni wrinkled her nose and stuck her tongue out at home, "I don't like reading."

Jay gave her a sad look, "But you'll do it for me, right?"

Danni sighed before nodding and jumping down from his arms, and running upstairs.

Emma stood up and crossed her arms over her chest and sighed.

"So what are you doing here, Nelson?" Jay asked, slowly walking towards her.

Emma placed her hands on her hips, "Babysitting, what do you think?"

Jay rolled his eyes at her, "So you picked _my_ sister?"

"You don't have to be such an ass about it," Emma stated, "I didn't _know_ that she was _your_ sister. But either way, Danni's a sweetie."

Jay nodded, "Yeah, she is. She deserves somebody better suited than you."

Emma's mouth dropped open, "Says the boy who killed a student last year."

Jay shook his head, "I didn't kill Rick, I just-"

"Was behind it all? Don't even try it, Jay."

"Yeah, well, our past experiences together haven't been too great, especially the ones from the ravine."

Emma sighed, "Trust me, I know."

"If you start making my sister go to peace rallies and clean the ravine, I swear to God that you won't have a job anymore."

Emma rolled her eyes, "You seriously think I would take your sister to a peace rally? _I _don't even go to those."

Jay sighed, "Yeah, well you get the point."

Emma shrugged, "Yeah, okay."

Just then Danni's voice broke out.

"I'm reading!" she sang out, "But just for you, Jay!"

-x-

"**Oh my God, you have to baby sit Jay _Hogart's_ sister!" **Manny squealed as she sat on the foot of Emma's bed.

Emma nodded as she fell back on her bed, "Yeah, I know."

"That's crazy." Manny stated.

"Tell me about it, and he said that she deserved somebody _better_ than me."

"Oh my God, are you serious? He practically _killed_ somebody last year, and you're not worthy? He even gave you a social disease!"

Emma nodded, "Yup."

"So do you still have the job or what?" Manny questioned.

"Yeah, I kept it." Emma replied.

A slow grin spread across Manny's face.

"What?" Emma asked confusingly.

"What if a _romance_ ignites from all of this?" she asked with a smirk.

Emma rolled her eyes, "Then you're talking crazy, trust me, no romance will happen between me and Jay Hogart; I already made that mistake once, I am _not_ making it again."

Manny smirked, "Yeah, say that now."

Emma shook her head fervently, "It won't happen, Manny!"

Manny nodded her head before leaning back on the bed, "Sure."

-x-

**Emma shut her locker door **and started down the hallway, with her tan messenger bag slung over one shoulder and her corduroy hobo bag slung over the other, just as she saw Jay walking down the hallway.

Jay gave her a short gaze before staring straight ahead.

Emma sighed and opened up the side glass door of Degrassi that led outside before hurrying down the sidewalk and down the school parking lot just as students drove off in their cars.

She walked down the various blocks and streets til she landed on Heffernan Avenue, just as a familiar Civic appeared in the driveway as well.

Emma looked over at Jay as he got out, "Aren't you supposed to be doing something today?"

"We call you when she needs a sitter, Green Peace. Apparently, she doesn't need one today." Jay stated aggravatingly.

But it was too late, Danni had opened up the door and smiled at Emma, "Emma!" she squealed excitedly.

Emma smiled over at her, "Hey Danni!" she waved.

Danni smiled over at Jay as well before motioning Emma to come inside.

Emma sighed and hurried up the front walk before glancing over at Jay and mouthing 'Ha-ha'.

-x-

**Danni sat on the counter** of the Hogart family kitchen, as she watched Emma hurry around it a week later.

"What are you doing?" she asked confusingly, twirling a strand of her blonde hair around her finger.

"Your parents told me to start dinner tonight…" she stated.

Danni shrugged, "So, start dinner."

Emma sighed, "Not that simple, Danni."

"Why not?"

"It has meat."

Danni laughed, "Yeah, its spaghetti, I'd hope it had meat in it!"

Emma let out a small laugh, "Yeah, I'm a vegetarian."

Danni eyed her confusingly, "What's that?"

"It means she doesn't eat meat." Another voice stated.

Emma spun around and saw Jay walking into the kitchen.

"Jay, you're home early!" Danni exclaimed, her eyes lighting up.

Jay nodded, "Yeah, the shop closed down early."

"Shop?" Emma asked confusingly.

Danni nodded, "Jay works at a car shop."

Emma nodded her head slowly, "Oh…"

Jay nodded, "Yeah, well why don't you just head out and I can start dinner?" Jay questioned.

Emma shook her head, "No, it's okay."

"You don't even eat meat, how are you supposed to make spaghetti?"

Emma shrugged, "I can still help out here or something."

"Why are you so anxious to be hanging around here?" Jay asked suspiciously.

_Because you guys are practically the only family I have next to Manny,_ Emma thought to herself.

It was true, her mom and Snake were always out doing things, they had found another tumor in Snake, showing that his cancer had come back. The couple was always out at hospitals or even just out to eat, but rarely with Emma, usually just Jack, but not Emma.

Emma shrugged, "It's my job to baby sit her."

Jay nodded, "Yeah, but I don't think it works the same if there's somebody else actually in the house."

Emma rolled her eyes, "Well your parents told me to start dinner, and that's what I intend to do." She stated and walked towards the fridge, pulling out a plate of wrapped up hamburger that sat on a plate, she simply stared at it.

"I'm pretty sure you can't magically move it out of the wrapper, Green Peace." Jay stated.

"Green Peace?" Danni asked confusingly.

Jay eyed her, "Don't worry about it." He muttered before turning back to Emma, "Take it out of the wrapper and sit it in the pan."

Emma sat the plate down on the counter and slowly began to unwrap the paper, blood began to seep out of the plastic wrap that the meat was wrapped up in.

"Oh my God!" she squealed, jumping back.

Jay couldn't help but chuckle, neither could Danni.

"My God, you are new at this." He stated, walking towards her and picking up the meet, still in its plastic wrap before sitting it in the pan and then beginning to sprinkle seasoning on it, "Was that too hard for you?"

Emma squinted her eyes at him angrily before watching him cook the meat, "It was bleeding."

"Yeah, meat seems to have blood in it, Nelson."

Emma rolled her eyes, "Can't I just boil the noodles or something?"

Jay shrugged, "You're the one who's supposed to be making the dinner, not me."

Emma sighed and opened up the cabinet that contained the pots and pans before sitting it under the sink and filling it with water before sitting it on the stove.

"There." She stated satisfyingly before turning and walking away, beginning to let it boil.

"I thought you were smarter than this." Jay noted.

Emma turned and stared at him, "Huh?"

"You have to turn on the stove first, Green Peace."

Emma rolled her eyes, "Yeah, I knew that. I was just seeing if you observant enough to notice that I didn't do it."

Jay scoffed as he turned on the stove, "Nice save."

-x-

**Chapter 1 complete! He-he…**

**R&R and please, no flames!**

**Lotsa love,**

**Degrassichick**


	2. Banana Split Personalities

**AN: Hey everybody! Thank you a ton for the reviews! I know it was a bit rushed, sorry bout that!**

**Oh, and I have noticed that this story is weirdly similar to _My Finest Hour_, so I will be changing some things so it doesn't turn into some crazy knock-off of that story!**

**Oh! And sorry for the long wait! I just saw Gwen Stefani in concert last night in Minneapolis, MN (OMG she is SO AMAZING!) and I was in such a good mood that I decided that I'd finally finish Chapter 2! Aren't ya proud? Lol…jk.**

**R&R and please, no flames!**

**Hope you like it!**

**-degrassichick**

**-x-**

**Chapter 2**

**-x-**

**The month slowly drug on**, Emma continuing to be Danni's babysitter, while Jay got even more aggravated with her every time he saw her.

Every time he saw her, he couldn't help but think about the ravine, and what had happened there, and how it had caused Emma to hate him even more than she already did.

On this particular December day, Emma was sitting on the Hogart's plush couch, Danni was asleep on the other side of the couch, her small legs resting against Emma's stomach as she watched a movie on _Lifetime_ about a girl who had a baby at sixteen.

_And I thought getting Gonorrhea was bad…_Emma thought to herself.

Not that having Gonorrhea wasn't bad too; but at least she was cured of it.

Just then the door swung open and Jay stalked inside, stepping into the living room.

Emma glanced up at him and held her finger in front of her lips, silencing him.

"What's your problem?" he grumbled, kicking off his shoes.

"Your sister is sleeping, so shut up." She snapped in a whisper.

Jay looked down at the couch, where Danni was peacefully sleeping.

"Well I'm here, so you can leave now…" Jay suggested.

Emma rolled her eyes before rolling off the couch and straightening up her outfit, "Okay, then I'll see you um…tomorrow then?"

Jay shrugged, "Sure, I guess."

Emma gave him a small smile before heading towards the door, just as a sleepy Danni awoke.

"Emma!" she squealed.

Emma spun around, combing a strand of her blonde hair behind her ear, "What is it, Dan?"

"Jay and me are going to the winter carnival tonight, you should come too!" she squealed.

Emma shook her head, "No that's okay, I don't want to impose or any-"

"No! I want you too!" Danni squealed.

Emma sighed, "I probably shouldn't, kiddo."

"Jay, tell her you want her to go!" Danni pleaded, getting up from the couch and tugging on her brother's shirt pleadingly, "Please?"

Jay groaned, he wanted anything but to go to that carnival with Green Peace, but whatever Danni wanted, Danni got.

Oh, the joys of being an older brother.

Jay sighed, "Yeah, sure, whatever."

Emma's eyes widened, "Seriously?"

"Don't let it get to your head Green Peace." He mumbled.  
Danni giggled, "I like your nickname, Emmy."

Emma shrugged, "Yeah, well that makes one of us."

-x-

"**This is _so _ridiculous.** I don't want to spend a night at a carnival with_ Jay Hogart_." Emma whined as she glanced at herself in the mirror.

She was wearing a faded green ringer tee shirt with the Lucky Charms logo on it and a pair of sandblasted jeans with a hole in one knee, her hair was pulled back in a ponytail and she was wearing a pair of white ballet flats with a green bow on the top of either one.

"Well do you want me to meet you there with Craig or something?" Manny questioned.

Emma shook her head, "Nah, you don't have to. I remember the last carnival you two went to together."

Manny began to laugh, remembering the moment from grade eight, "Okay, so that wasn't really the greatest moment in my life but still…if you want me to meet you there to avoid awkwardness, I'll come."

Emma shook her head, "That's okay, but thanks Manny."

Manny shrugged, "Your call."

Emma nodded, "Yep."

"So do you think anything romantic is going to happen between the two of you?" Manny questioned.

Emma stared at her best friend as if she had just sprouted a second head and told her that she was really a man.

Manny laughed, "Should I take that as a no?"

"Take it as a _hell_ no." Emma muttered.

Manny rolled her eyes, "Okay, no need to get snappy."

Emma sighed, "His sister is a cutie though, it's just him I can't stand. He's always there, hovering and whatnot. Like some annoying fly."

"_I_ think he likes you," Manny proclaimed, a grin spreading across her cheeks, showing off her dimples.

"_I_ think you're crazy," Emma replied in the same tone.

Manny laughed, "Well after hearing that, I'm thinking you like him too."

"Manny!" Emma exclaimed, "Never!"

Manny shook her head, "Never say never. Besides, remember the ravine?" she cocked an eyebrow.

Emma threw her head down on her pillow, "Do _not_ remind me of that. That was a mistake, just a big, fat mistake that never should have happened!"

Manny sighed, "So are you going to the carnival or what?"

-x-

**Emma walked around** the gym of Danni's elementary school where the carnival was being held; Danni had a grip on her hand, hauling her to random booths.

"So where's your brother?" Emma asked, glancing around for Jay, who hadn't been able to give them a ride thus making them take a taxi.

Danni shrugged her shoulders, "He'll be here."

Emma sighed and turned away from her, muttering under her breath, "As if that's a treat."

"Did you say something?" Danni questioned, looking towards her.

Emma shook her head and gave a small smile, "Nope, nada."

"Huh?" Danni asked confusingly.

"I didn't say anything."

Danni smiled, "Oh, okay. Hey, look! A dunking booth!" she squealed and hauled her away.

-x-

**Jay climbed out of** his Civic and made his way up the front steps of Degrassi Community Elementary School. He swung open the door and stepped inside, music was playing and young kids and their parents were bustling around.

He knew Danni wouldn't be there alone; Emma would for sure be there with her.

Jay stepped into the gym and looked at the various booths, searching for two blonde heads.

He eventually found Danni hurling balls at a bright red target, sending her principal straight into a tub of water.

"Good aim." He heard Emma say with approval.

A grin spread across Danni's face, "Jay used to be a pitcher on a little league team, I watched some of his old games on tape and learned from him. That's why I'm joining the co-ed little league team this summer." Danni turned her head and saw Jay, "Hey Jay!" she squealed and hurried towards him, he held out his arms and she jumped into them, giving him a hug, "I missed you." She muffled into his neck.

Jay laughed, "Missed you too, kiddo." He stated before sitting her back on her feet and watching as Emma walked towards them.

"So, where have you been?" Emma questioned.

Jay shrugged, "Taking mom and dad to the airport."

Danni stared up at him in shock, "_What?_ Why?"

"Business trip." Jay stated sadly.

"Oh," Danni murmured in a near whisper, turning away from her brother. Tears began to twinkle in her eyes.

Emma sighed and leaned down towards Danni, "What do you say we get out of here?" she suggested.

Danni glanced up at her with teary eyes and smiled, "Okay."

Emma grinned and picked her up, Danni' arms thrown around her shoulders and her legs wrapped around her hips as the three walked out of the gym.

-x-

"**I want…**a double chocolate mint cone with extra chocolate sprinkles and chocolate chip cookie dough on top." Danni said to the waitress at the I-Scream Ice Cream café, where the three had decided to go after the carnival.

Emma stared at the girl in shock.

"She has a thing about chocolate." Jay mumbled towards her.

Emma nodded in understanding before the waitress turned to them, "And what would you like?" she asked towards Emma.

"A banana split." She and Jay both wound up saying in unison.

Jay gulped, "Oh, were you uh, talking to her?"

The waitress nodded, "But I'm going to guess that that's what you each want?"

The two both nodded.

She smiled before jotting it down on her notepad and walking off.

"Well _that_ was awkward." Emma murmured under her breath.

-x-

"**Thanks for the ice cream, **Emma…and for taking me to the carnival." Danni said with a smile as they pulled up Emma's driveway.

Emma shrugged and smiled, "No problem."

"So, I guess I'll see you tomorrow?" Danni questioned.

Emma nodded.

"You don't have to. It's a Saturday and I'll be home." Jay proclaimed.

Emma shrugged, "I'm taking her Christmas shopping."

"Oh…"

"Mommy and daddy aren't going to be home, are they?" Danni asked.

Jay shook his head sadly, "Not for a few days, sweets."

Danni nodded, "Okay. Well I'll see you tomorrow Emma." She said with a grin and pulled her into a hug.

Emma smiled softly and hugged her back, "I'll see you too. I'll be there around noon, okay?"

Danni grinned, "Okay, see you at noon!" she said with a smile before hopping back into the Civic.

Jay turned to Danni, "Sit here for a second, okay? I need to talk to Emma." Jay stated.

Danni nodded her head animatedly, "Okay, Jay."

_What now?_ Emma whined to herself.

Jay walked towards Emma, "You don't have to do all of this, you know."

Emma glanced over at Danni sadly, "But I want to, Danni's a real sweet kid."

Jay nodded, "Yeah, I know. And I like how you're treating her."

_Then what's the point in this conversation?_

Emma gave a slight smirk, "Thanks."

Jay shoved his hands into his pockets, "Yeah. I think she likes having you around."

Emma smiled, "Well I like being around her."

Jay nodded, "Okay…well I guess I'll see you tomorrow, or something."

Emma nodded, "Yeah, I'll see you around, Jay."

Jay lifted his hand in a slight wave, "Later."

"Bye." Emma smiled slightly before turning to Danni, "Bye Dan!"

"Bye Emmy!" Danni squealed and waved her hand around, a smile beaming on her face.

Emma smiled before turning and jogging up her front steps and across her porch, watching as Jay pulled his Civic out of the driveway and the two drove off down the street.

Emma sighed before swinging open the door and stepping inside, "I'm home!" she called out, but simply noticed a note taped on the wall by the stairs:

_Emma, we went out to Montreal. Jack got sick. We tried to call you but your phone was off and nobody answered at the Hogart's._

_We'll be back at the soonest, sorry baby!_

_Love, Mom and Dad_

_P.S. Zac called, he just got back into town and was looking for you._

Emma frowned at what her parents had written, but she was quite used to it by now. But she did smile when she read that Zac had called.

Zac had been her boyfriend since October and he had gone out of town with his parents to the states to see his grandmother who lived in California.

She was glad he was back; she had missed having him around.

She sighed happily and walked off towards the phone.

-x-

"**So, what do you** think of Emma?" Jay questioned Danni as they pulled into their driveway.

Danni grinned and undid her seatbelt, hopping out of the car as soon as it was parked, "I love her! She's so nice; it's like having a big sister around!" Danni squealed.

Jay smiled slightly, "Good to know."

Danni nodded, "Yup. You know how cool it would be if you two got married!"

Jay gulped, "What?"

Danni grinned, "Seriously, Jay! She'd be my permanent sister!"

Jay scoffed to himself, _like that'll happen._

Jay shook his head, "I don't think so sweets."

Danni shrugged before glancing over at them, "You should consider it."

-x-

**Ta-da! Another chapter complete! And it only took…like 17 days! He-he…**

**Well thanks for all the reviews!**

**R&R and please, no flames!**

**Lotsa love, degrassichick**


	3. A Chilly Conversation

**AN: Hey everyone! Thanks for the reviews! I know the Zac thing might have been a bit weird, seeing as I didn't include him in the first chapter. But I was kind of confused on what to write and I just started writing and pretty soon I wound up making up Zac (so no, he is of course not an actual character and probably the closest I'll ever get to owning the show would be making up my own characters…but he will be connected to another character which you will learn in this chapter), who should have been mentioned in the first chapter but wasn't.**

**Anyways, thanks so much for the reviews-and very sorry about the long update! School is driving me insane!**

**R&R and please, no flames!**

**Lotsa love, degrassichick**

**-x-**

**Chapter 3**

**-x-**

**Emma showed up** on Jay's doorstep around twelve the next afternoon, ringing the doorbell and resting her hands in her pockets.

The door swung open moments later and Jay appeared.

"Hey." She stated with a slight smile.

Jay nodded in acknowledgement, "Hey, come on in. I'll go get Danni."

Emma nodded and stepped inside, wrapping her arms around herself.

Jay glanced at the shivering girl confusingly, "Cold?"

Emma rolled her eyes, "No, I'm suffocating, what do you think?"

Jay rolled his eyes right back at her before hollering up the stairs, "Danni! Emma's here!"

Danni was trampling down the stairs seconds later, "Emma!" she squealed and threw herself at her.

Emma laughed and hugged her, "Hey…ready to go?"

Danni nodded, "More than ready." She stated happily before walking towards the coat closet and tugging down a white coat, pulling it on over her pink tee shirt.

"So what are your plans for the day, Jay?" Emma asked, turning towards him.

Jay shrugged, "Nothing much."

"You should come with us!" Danni suggested cheerfully.

Emma shot a look at Danni but the girl didn't notice.

Jay shook his head, "No I don't-"

"Jay-Jay, _please_?" Danni asked, a sad look spreading in her blue eyes.

Jay shook his head at her, "Don't give me the puppy dog look, Danielle."

"Please?" her blue eyes twinkled sadly.

Jay let out a groan, "Why do you do this?"

"Are you going to go?" Danni asked pleadingly.

"Are you going to keep badgering me if I don't?" Jay fired back.

Danni grinned and nodded.

Jay groaned, "Fine, I'll go. Okay?"

Danni smiled and hugged him, "Thanks!"

Emma sighed, "Great…" she muttered bitterly as Jay pulled on his coat before the three walked out of the house.

-x-

**"I like this."** Danni proclaimed, throwing a sparkly lavender scarf around her neck.

"Dan, you've liked just about everything we've seen in this mall." Jay grumbled.

Emma shot him a look, "Must you be so bluntly rude?"

Jay rolled his eyes, "Well excuse me, Lady Sassafras."

Emma rolled her eyes right back towards him before glancing forward to Danni, who was now grinning perkily at a glass cabinet full of Swarovski crystal bracelets, "I have a feeling she'll be one high maintenance girl when she's older."

Jay scoffed, "What was your first clue?" he asked before walking towards her, "None of that, Dan." He stated, "Let's head down to a place where they actually sell a necklace for _under_ fifty dollars." He stated, pulling the shiny gold necklace off of his sister's neck as well as the Chenille scarf.

Emma couldn't help but smile slightly as the three walked out of the store together.

-x-

**"What should I** get your parents?" Emma asked, eyeing through the racks of jewelry at _Gel_, a department store at the mall.

Jay shrugged, "You were going to get them a gift?"

Emma stared at him stupidly, "Of course, it's Christmas. What do you expect?"

"Well I hate to be my _bluntly rude_ self, but I doubt they'll get you anything." Jay stated, mocking her.

Emma rolled her eyes, "Well it's still nice to think of people."

"So that means you're going to get me a gift?" Jay asked with a cocked smirk on his face.

Emma cringed before turning towards him, "I guess so."

-

**The trio stepped** out of the mall with arm loads of gifts, Emma had gotten a gift for each of her friends, one for Danni, and one for Mr. and Mrs. Hogart, the only person she had not bought anything for was Jay, she figured he would be far too hard to shop for and she would just tackle the subject of his gift later.

"Can we go get ice cream?" Danni asked excitedly as the clambered in the Civic.

Jay looked outside as he shut his car door, snow flurries were falling around them, "It's December." He noted.

Danni nodded, "So can we?"

"Danni, this isn't exactly…ice cream…weather." Emma stated, still shivering from being outside.

Jay eyed her pathetically as she wrapped her arms around herself in the passenger seat next to him.

"How about hot chocolate?" Jay asked.

Danni sighed and slunk back against the seat, "Fine." She grumbled under her breath.

Jay laughed despite himself and pulled out of the parking lot.

Midway down the road, he heard chattering.

He glanced over towards Emma and saw her chin shaking.

"You cold, Green Peace?"

Emma turned towards him, "W-what was your f-first c-c-clue?"

Jay rolled his eyes before staring down at the coat he was wearing, he wasn't _that_ cold. He could easily give his up towards her.

Except for the fact that she was Emma "Green Peace" Nelson, and that fact made him very greedy.

Jay glanced back towards Danni, who was laying in the backseat fast asleep.

"Do you think if we don't go get hot chocolate that she'll notice?" he asked in a near whisper.

Emma let out a slight laugh, "I don't think so."

Jay smirked, "Good, because I'm not in the hot chocolate mood." He stated before turning towards the street that would lead them towards his neighborhood.

-x-

**"C'mon, Sweets,"** Jay stated, pushing down the front passenger seat and scooping his little sister in his arms, "will you pull back up the seat?" he asked Emma as he walked towards the porch.

Emma pushed back the seat before closing the car door and following him up the porch steps and into the house.

She closed the door behind herself, removing her scarf, coat, and gloves and hanging them back up on the coat rack before kicking off her shoes and watching as Jay carried his sister upstairs.

_He's way sweeter with kids than I thought._

_**Yeah, it's even kind of cute.**_

_Jay being cute? Never._

She walked towards the couch and sat down, rubbing her hands together and shivering.

"You must be seriously cold." Jay stated.

Emma turned towards him and nodded, "Is Danni in bed?"

Jay nodded, "Yep. Today must have worn her out or something." He stated and fell onto the couch beside her.

Emma slightly scooted away.

"Do you want a blanket or something?" Jay asked after a few moments of silence (unless you counted Emma's incessant shivering).

Emma nodded, her teeth clattering, "If you wouldn't mind…"

Jay hopped up from the couch and walked off down the hallway towards the door of the coat closet, swinging it open and grabbing a fleece blanket.

He walked back towards her and tossed it into her arms.

"Thanks." She murmured and wrapped it around herself.

Jay nodded, "Yeah." He stated and sat back down on the couch.

"You're pretty good with kids, you know." Emma stated softly.

Jay shrugged, "I'm just about all she's got."

Emma shot him a questioning look which gave Jay the signal to explain.

"Well, my parents are both lawyers, which puts them through a lot of business trips. I guess it started when I was about twelve, they used to stay around home but the cases got bigger and they had to go to other places for trials, they've been all over, Montreal, Quebec, Vancouver, even down to New York City and Los Angeles in the states. So since they were always gone, I was stuck with Danni, she pretty much sees me as a father figure."

Emma gulped, "Wow…your life is so much different than how I pictured."

"Let me guess," Jay stated, leaning back on the couch, tossing his arm over the top, "you suspected that I lived in a trailer court, with an alcoholic mom and that I stole my way through life."

Emma giggled embarrassingly; he had just described what she had pictured to a tee.

"I take it I was right?" Jay questioned.

Emma nodded and gulped, "Sorry, I don't mean to offend you-"

"Don't worry. A lot of people think that of me. The Civic actually belonged to my cousin Brett before he gave it to me; it was in pretty bad shape so I fixed it up. And I do steal occasionally, but it's not because I'm starving on the streets or anything."

"Then why do you do it?" Emma asked.

Jay didn't answer but simply changed the subject, "Well what's life like in the world of Emma Nelson?"

Emma sighed, "Actually not very much different than yours."

Jay cocked an eyebrow.

Emma smirked, "My parents are gone a lot too, but that's because Snake had cancer, and then Jack, my younger brother, started getting sick a lot, so they're always gone to hospitals and grandparents' houses and whatnot."

"And you don't go with?" Jay asked.

Emma shook her head, "Manny lives with us, so I usually just hang with her."

Jay nodded as if he understood.

"Danni looks up to you, you know." Emma stated.

Jay nodded, "Yeah, I know."

"Well if you know, then why do you do some of the things you do?"

"Like what?" Jay asked.

Emma rolled her eyes, "Like smoke, drink, shoplift, go to parties, deal drugs, hook up with girls in the ravine…"

"I don't do that last one anymore." Jay stated.

Emma gulped, thinking back to the night spent in the ravine, "That was pretty bad when that happened." Emma said.

"So you regret it?" Jay asked.

Emma nodded, "I probably regret every second of it."

Jay scoffed offensively, "Well thanks."

"Jay, you gave me an STD, how can I be totally okay with that?"

"Well you seemed pretty into me at the time, Nelson."

Emma rolled her eyes, "Yeah, well I wasn't."

Jay scoffed, "So you followed me around like a lost puppy because-"

"Just shut up, Jay." Emma stated just as her cell phone vibrated against her hip.

She picked it up; it read _Zac_ on the caller ID.

"Hello?"

"Hey babes, long time no talk." Zac Rogers said into the phone.

Emma laughed, "Yeah, I'd have to agree to that. How've you been?"

"I've missed you." He stated.

Emma couldn't help but smile into the phone, "I've missed you too."

"So what are you up to, baby?" he asked softly.

"Babysitting." Emma stated, eying Jay who was watching her with confusion, as if trying to place who she was on the phone with.

"So I guess I called at a bad time?" Zac questioned.

Emma shook her head even though he couldn't see her, "No, not at all."

"But you're babysitting…" he stated confusingly.

"Well she's asleep right now." Emma replied.

"Oh." Zac said, "Well do you have to baby sit tomorrow?"

"No, I don't think so, why?" Emma questioned.

Zac laughed, "Must you be so persistent?"

"Of course." Emma replied with a giggle.

Jay rolled his eyes, it was apparent that she was on the phone with a boy.

"Well, I wanted to take you out for lunch maybe, what do you say?"

Emma grinned, "I say, pick me up at noon."

"Well you've got yourself a deal. See you then."

Emma laughed, "Okay, love you." She said happily.

"You too, bye." Zac stated and hung up.

Emma pressed the _End_ button on her phone and smiled happily.

"Who was that?" Jay asked.

Emma eyed him as if he should know better than to ask, "Zac."

"Well that helps, who's Zac?"

She rolled her eyes, "My boyfriend, why do you care?"

Jay wondered the same thing, why did he care?

But he knew that for some bizarre reason, he did.

Because as soon as she said _boyfriend_, he felt as if he had swallowed a bowling ball.

-x-

**Well there's Chapter 3…I (once again) am SO SORRY about the long update!**

**Hope you liked it!**

**R&R and please, no flames!**

**Lotsa love, degrassichick**


	4. An Almost Perfect Holiday

**AN: OMG words cannot describe how sorry I am for the long update! So, so, SOOOO SORRY! I've been so busy with school and we've been having late rehearsals for our school musical so I've been having to stay at school til five, and it doesn't help that the teachers find it fun to book us with homework in every subject and I only have one study hall so I'm stuck doing it at home. But I got sick today (and was banned from school because too many people are getting sick) so I decided to FINALLY update! **

**Thank you so much for the reviews! I've been thinking this through and I'm starting to think that I'm shifting away from Jay and Emma…and more into Emma and Peter. Especially after seeing the episode_ Tell it to My Heart_, it just kind of makes sense for them to be together…even though I do love the Jay and Emma pairing, I'm starting to like Peter and Emma too. Yes, that had like nothing to do with this story whatsoever, but oh well, lol.**

**Well here's Chapter 4, hope you like!**

**I am once again, so sorry about the long updates! I've been so spacey lately. Hope you all had a Happy Holiday!**

**R&R and please, no flames!**

**Lotsa love, **

**degrassichick**

**-x-**

**Chapter 4**

**-x-**

"**So why are we **here again?" Manny asked as she and Emma strolled through _Bingham Department Store _at the mall the following Saturday, "Christmas is in two days!"

Emma nodded, "I know, and I still have two presents to get."

"Would mine happen to be one of them?" Manny asked, a hopeful grin on her face.

Emma shook her head and Manny's face fell, "Well then, who for?" she asked.

"I have to get one for Zac and one for Jay." Emma replied, looking at the back of a CD before sitting it back on the rack.

Manny's eyes widened, "You're getting _Jay_ a present?"

Emma rolled her eyes, "Of course, I'm getting one for a lot of people."

"But Jay isn't a person; he's more of a…thing."

Emma rolled her eyes, "Well this _thing_ gets a present too."

Manny shrugged before looking across the store and seeing a very familiar person walking through an aisle of workout DVDs along with a small girl with blonde hair.

"Well speak of the _thing_ now." Manny muttered.

Emma's head shot up and she immediately saw Jay with Danni in tow.

Danni glanced up and spotted Emma, "Emmy!" she pointed, "Jay look, it's Emmy!"

Manny held back a laugh and watched as the two walked over towards them.

Danni grinned broadly, "Hi Emma!" she squealed happily and wrapped her arms around the girl's waist.

Emma laughed and hugged her back, "Hey Danni."

Jay stuffed his hands into his pockets, "So Green Peace, who are you shopping for?"

Manny replied before Emma could muster her answer, "She's spending hours on end shopping for Zac, it's getting really annoying."

Jay's eyes darkened slightly at the sound of _Zac_.

"Oh…" Jay replied.

"Who are you shopping for?" Emma asked.

Danni grinned, "He's shopping for you!" she squealed.

Emma's eyes widened as she felt a smile forming on her lips, she glanced up at Jay, "Oh, is that so?"

Jay rolled his eyes and muttered something incoherently under his breath, "C'mon Miss Narrator, let's go." Jay stated and latched onto Emma's hand, "I guess I'll see you later then?" he asked, turning towards Emma.

Emma nodded, "Tomorrow."

"Bye Emma!" Danni squealed.

Emma laughed, "Bye Danni." She said with a smile before watching the pair walk out of the store.

Manny smirked towards Emma.

"What?"

"If I'm not mistaken, I think Jay may just have a crush on you…"

Emma scoffed, "Yeah right, Manny."

Manny rolled her eyes, "Well if you two are kissing under the mistletoe, don't come crying to-"

Emma held up a hand to silence Manny, "Trust me, that _won't_ happen."

-x-

Emma rapped on the Hogart's door on Christmas Eve, shivering with three packages in her hand.

Just then the door swung open and Mrs. Hogart appeared, "Emma, hello! What a pleasant surprise to see you here! You must be freezing, come in, come in!" she laughed and held the door open for Emma, who stepped inside.

"So what are you doing here, Emma?" she asked as Emma sat the presents down on the tile floor of the foyer and slipped off her coat and shoes.

"Well I decided to bring you guys your Christmas presents." Emma stated with a smile.

Mrs. Hogart smiled, "Emma, you didn't have to get us anything."

Emma shrugged, "I wanted to."

Mrs. Hogart laughed before calling up the stairs, "Jay! Danni!"

Danni galloped down the stairs and grinned excitedly, "Emma!" she squealed and lunged herself at her, pulling her into a hug.

"Hey Dan!" Emma laughed and hugged her back.

Danni broke away and looked down at the presents, "Did you get me anything?" she asked excitedly.

"Danielle." Mrs. Hogart warned.

Emma held up her hand, "Don't worry about it." She said towards her before looking down at Danni, "Did I get you a gift…? Hmm, let's see. I have one here for your parents, one for Jay, and one for a little girl named Danni…do you know her?" she asked with a grin.

Danni squealed and reached for the biggest package on the floor, "Jay! Get down here, now!"

Emma laughed, "Impatient, aren't we?"

Danni grinned and nodded, "I love Christmas." She turned to her mom, "Mommy! Open your present."

Mrs. Hogart smiled and reached down, picking up the present at the top of the stack, "You really didn't have to get us anything, Emma."

Emma shook her head, "No trouble at all." She then glanced around, "Is Mr. Hogart here?"

Mrs. Hogart shook her head, "He had an important meeting."

"On Christmas Eve?" Emma questioned, puzzled.

Mrs. Hogart nodded, "His client is very, very pushy."

Emma nodded in confusion.

Just then Jay approached the foyer from the kitchen, "What?" he asked towards his sister.

Emma spun around to face him.

"Oh…" Jay grumbled, "Hi."

Emma rolled here eyes, "Thanks for the greeting."

"Emma brought presents! Sit down and open-" she got cut off by Mrs. Hogart's cell phone ringing.

Mrs. Hogart snatched it off of the shelf it was sitting on beside a small glass custard dish with keys in them.

She flipped it open and glanced at the name, "Hello?" she asked, answering the phone. She held up a finger to the other three and walked into the kitchen, "Its Christmas Eve, Jeffery…"

Danni got a sought look on her face, staring down at the tile flooring, "Guess we'll have to open the presents without Mommy."

"Why is that?" Emma asked, crouching down beside Danni.

"Jeffery is her client, he's insanely pushy and anytime he calls here-which is just about every other day-it always that Mom has to leave." Jay butted in.

Emma sighed, "Maybe he won't make her leave, it _is _Christmas Eve after all."

As if being stood corrected on impact, Mrs. Hogart strutted back towards the foyer, "Jeffery needs me to stop by his house for a little bit. I'll be back very soon, I promise." She gave a kiss on the cheek to both Danni and Jay, "Just go ahead and open your presents." She said towards them, "I love you, see you soon." She then looked towards Emma, "Thank you for stopping by, honey. Feel free to stay as long as you want." And with that she grabbed her coat and purse and walked outside into the cold.

Danni stared down at the floor, sniffling.

Emma pulled her into a hug, "She'll be back soon, just as she said."

"Yeah, right." Jay scoffed, "Jeffery keeps her with him for three hours at the _least_."

Emma rolled her eyes, "Well gee, Jay. That really lightened up the mood." She looked down at Danni, "Do you want to open your present, sweetie?"

Dannie sniffled and nodded.

Emma smiled and reached for the young girl's hand and picked up her present with the other, leading her towards the couch.

"Looks like you've got a lot of presents already." Emma laughed, looking towards the Christmas tree that was decorated brightly with presents scattered all around the tree skirt.

Danni nodded before reaching for the present Emma had gotten her and ripped off the paper.

"Wow…" Danni gushed, looking down at the box.

Inside was a silver photo frame with pink sparkly engraved writing on it that read, "World's Prettiest Princess" with a picture inside of it of Danni and Jay, the two were sitting on their couch, Danni was on Jay's lap and she had a tiara on her head with Jay's head resting on her shoulder.

She pulled Emma into a hug, "Thanks Emma!" she squealed.

Emma laughed, "Look back in the box, sweets."

Danni pulled the picture frame out and handed it to Emma momentarily before letting out a squeal and pulling out two packages of candy, Razzles and Sweet Tarts, Danni's favorite candies.

"Thank you!" she squealed and hugged her once more, "I'm going to go put these in my room." And with that she picked up her things and hurried upstairs.

Jay smirked as he watched her walk off, "That was pretty cool of you."

Emma shrugged, "I didn't think she would actually get that excited over a picture frame."

Jay laughed, "Danni loves pictures."

Emma smiled before reaching down for Jay's package and tossing into his hands, his was smaller and lighter than Danni's had been.

"You seriously got me something?" Jay asked.

Emma rolled her eyes, "No, it's for the _other_ Jay."

Jay rolled his eyes and plopped down on the couch, ripping off the paper.

He lifted the lid off of the box and stared down at the sight in front of him.

A black cap.

"You got me a hat?" he asked.

Emma rolled her eyes, "Yes, I got you a hat." She picked the gray one that he was wearing off of his head, "This one is getting ratty, it was bugging me." She looked at him with his floppy honey brown hair; she had to admit, he _was_ pretty cute.

Jay placed the new one on his head backwards and looked towards her.

Emma laughed, "See? It looks better."

Jay sighed, "Thanks." He said with a tug of a smile along his lips.

Emma nodded, "No problem." She laughed and slightly wrapped her arms around him, giving him a light hug.

Jay's eyes widened before he cautiously hugged her back.

The two broke apart and their foreheads bumped together.

"Sorry." Jay mumbled and slowly began to break away.

Emma nodded, staring down at his lips.

"What's wrong with you?" he asked awkwardly.

Emma slowly began to inch her lips closer towards his, noticing that he was moving his towards her as well.

Their lips were so close that they could feel their breath against each other.

Jay silently placed his hand on the back of her neck and was just about to lower his lips onto her own when-

"Jay!" Danni called out, "Come tell me where I should go put my picture frame!"

The pair broke apart and Jay muttered something incoherently under his breath before hurrying up the stairs.

Emma gulped and fell back against the couch.

What had she been thinking?

**-x-**

**Wow! I finally completed the chapter! (Pats self on back)**

**Once again, I am _so_ sorry about the long update; I promise the next one will be quicker!**

**R&R and please, no flames!**

**Lotsa love,**

**degrassichick**


	5. Merry Christmas, Green Peace

**AN: Okay, I'll agree, I'm a horrible person! But a review I got from my new story, Life is a Highway, really made me think about this story and how I abandoned it, I am so sorry! I have such a writer's block on this story due to not writing on it for so long, but I'm finally going to get to work and bring you guys the next chapter!**

**Thank you for all of the reviews! **

**So here's Chapter 5.**

**R&R and please, no flames!**

**Lotsa love,**

**Degrassichick**

**-x-**

**PS: This chapter is dedicated to Kuddls, who really made me think about this story!**

**-x-**

**Chapter 5**

**-x-**

"**Thanks for the present Emma."** Danni giggled as she bounded down the stairs, Jay trudging along behind her.

Emma turned around from where she was seated on the couch and smiled towards the girl, "No problem. I hope you liked it."

Danni nodded, "I did!"

Emma laughed.

Danni then turned to Jay, "You haven't given her your present yet, Jay."

Emma's eyes widened.

_He seriously got me something?_

Jay shrugged towards me, "Who said I got her anything?"

Emma's eyes lowered towards the ground.

"Jay! Don't be such a meanie! Give her your present!" Danni exclaimed.

Emma turned to Jay and laughed, "Yeah, Jay, don't be such a meanie."

Danni grinned at Emma, "I like the way you think." She said before pointing an angry finger at Jay and retreating upstairs.

"I was kidding, you know." Emma said as she noticed Jay pulling out a small, wrapped box from his pocket, "I really don't need anything."

Jay didn't respond, just simply tossed the box into her hands.

She looked down at the box wrapped up in sparkling silver paper before smiling up at him and slowly unwrapping it.

"You don't have to keep the paper; they sell it at every store." Jay said, noticing how slow she was going.

Emma shot him a questioning look before tearing off the remainder of the paper.

It was a small, black box, the type that jewelry often came in.

She lifted the top and stared down at the item in front of her in surprise.

It was a silver necklace with a green peace sign dangling in the center.

She smiled as she looked down at it before grinning up at Jay, "Green Peace."

Jay nodded, "My small way of being clever."

"Thanks Jay…" she said softly.

"Did you give it to her?" Danni shouted from upstairs.

Jay chuckled, "Yeah, I gave it to her." He called back.

"Did she like it?" she exclaimed.

Emma laughed, "Yes." She hollered back.

Danni squealed.

Emma pulled the necklace the rest of the way out of the box, "Can you um…?"

Jay nodded quickly and took the necklace out of her hand as Emma turned her back towards him.

"Are you going to lift up your hair for me or do I need to do it for you?" he asked in an annoyed tone.

Emma rolled her eyes and lifted her hair, letting him slide the cool silver chain around her neck, fastening the back.

For some reason, the moment Jay's hands touched her neck, chills filled her body and Goosebumps rose on her arms.

Her breath caught in her throat as Jay moved dropped his hands from her neck, she dropped her hair, letting it cascade down her back as she turned to face him.

"Thanks." She said, looking down at the chain that now hung on her neck.

Jay smirked at her as Danni shouted for Jay to come upstairs, "No problem."

-x-

"Merry Christmas." A familiar voice cooed at the Dot said later on that night.

Emma smiled and turned to face Zac, "Merry Christmas." She said with a smile.

He sat down in the chair across from her at the table for two and slid a bag across the table at her.

Emma smiled up at him before pulling out the present in the bag.

It was a card.

"I know, it doesn't look like much, but open it up." He said with a grin.

Emma shot him a questioning look before opening up the envelope and opening up the card, a small envelope fell out.

She read the message in the card first:

_Babe, I love you tons. This present will just help show you how much. Merry Christmas!_

_Much love,_

_Zac_

Emma opened up the envelope and what she saw was not what she expected.

A fifty dollar bill.

"Fifty bucks?" she asked questioningly.

Zac nodded, "I didn't want to buy you something you hate, so I just decided to give you this, so you can get yourself something nice."

_Asshole._

_**It's the thought that counts, right?**_

_Um, not with what _you_ bought him._

Emma smiled at him, "Thanks."

Zac smiled at her before rubbing his hands together greedily, "So, what'd you get me?"

Emma smiled softly before pulling out a card as well and tossing it towards him.

Zac smiled up at her slowly before opening up the card, not even bothering to read the message, and going straight for the envelope.

Two tickets fell out.

"Panic! At the Disco tickets? You got me Panic tickets?" he asked excitedly.

Emma grinned, "Surprise."

His jaw dropped in surprise, "Thank you so much, babe!" he said, pulling her into a kiss.

Emma smiled, "And don't think you have to invite me, you can take anybody you want."

He shook his head in disbelief, a huge grin on his face, "Man, I have to go call JT!" he said, shooting up from the table, "Thanks babe." He said, kissing her on the cheek, "Merry Christmas." He said before grabbing his jacket from the back of the chair and leaving the restaurant.

Emma sighed, twirling around the stir stick in her hot chocolate, "Merry Christmas." She muttered.

-x-

Jay stared at the guy in shock as he got up and left the restaurant.

Unbelievable.

How could he treat Emma like that?

He had been sitting at a table by himself, getting ready to walk over to Emma Nelson, who was also sitting by herself, when a guy came in and plopped down across from her.

He got her fifty dollars for Christmas.

She got him concert tickets.  
And he didn't even ask her to go with him!

He shook his head in disbelief before letting out a sigh.

"Dude, you okay?" Spinner Mason asked, coming up to him.

Jay shrugged, "Yeah, fine. Why?"

"Because you've been staring at the back of Emma Nelson's blonde and overly filled head for the past twenty minutes." He noted factually.

Jay shook his head, "Did you see the way her boyfriend treated her?" he asked in shock.

"Zac Rogers?" Spinner asked in confusion, "The guy's an ass. Seriously, if you thought that _we_ were bad, you have no idea what he's like. I mean, at least we have _respect_ for the girls we date."

Jay shrugged, "Yeah, I better get going." He said, standing up from the table and making his way out of the restaurant.

Spinner sighed and made his way towards Emma, leaning over her, "I think it's time you traded in the boyfriend." He said in a low voice before making his way back towards the kitchen of the restaurant.

Emma watched him leave in shock, "_What_?"

-x-

"Very pretty necklace, Emma. Where did you get it?" Spike asked as the family sat at dinner that night.

Emma ran her hands over the necklace that lay flat against her chest bone, "Oh, Jay got it for me."

"That was nice of him." Snake said in a low voice, still not happy with Jay after what he did to Emma.

Manny smirked at her, "I think he may even have a crush on you." She said.

Emma whipped her head towards her, "What?"

Manny took a bite out of Snake's lasagna and shrugged, "I'm just saying…"

Emma rolled her eyes, "You don't even like Jay, should you really be acting excited about him possibly liking me?"

Manny pointed her fork at Emma, "So you _agree_ that he may like you?"

"I never said that." Emma pointed out.

"But that's what you meant…" Manny said in a sing-song voice.

Emma shook her head, "No it isn't."

"Okay, that's enough you two." Spike said, eying the two girls warningly.

Emma slumped back against her seat, taking a sip out of her glass of water, "I do _not_ like Jay like that and I _know_ he surely doesn't like _me_ like that."

Manny laughed, "Whatever you say, Emma, whatever you say."

**-x-**

**I know it's shorter than the others, sorry!**

**And I am SO SORRY for not updating this story, I feel terrible!**

**Anyways, hope you liked it!**

**R&R and please, no flames!**

**Lotsa love,**

**degrassichick**


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